In the Karkorams, more specififcally in the Hunza valley, GLOFs have been found. Being a layman, I can highlight few GLOFs mainly coming out of the Verzhrav of Shingshal (Shimshal) that has occured time and again.

Mr Ayub Khan (born 1936), a very prominent mountaneer and tourist guid from Gulmit, started his formal mountaneering mission and venture in 1957 who went to Dastghel with the British team leader, Afred Gregory relates his experience on the GLOFs in this manner:

a) In the 1940s, the Verzhrav (sounds Verz Zhrav meaning “long stream”)outburst and washed away the settlements along with the Huza River, settlments/agri-fields/forests in Passu, Gulmit, Ganish, Nomal and the like.

b) Second and third times, Mr Ayub tries to recall his memoirs, the outburst of the glacial laks of Verzhrav occured in 1960 & 1962 and flooded the properties of the community.

It is notewotty that Verzhrav has its flodings even before 1940; and these incidents which Mr Ayub Khan is relating are in his own memoir after his birth.

Besides Verzhrav in Karakoram, long before in the past, flooding has come up also in the Ghulkin-Ghusani Glacier that we experienced last week or so. Previously, the Ghulkin-Ghusani’s glacial lake outburst had taken its route from the southern side of Lower Borith and flooded the Ghusani (now Hussaini) village from the southern flank of the Shoh Tolib Shrine (Oston).

c) So also holds true to the Gulmit (Kamaris) glacier wherein the water in huge quantity has come out and divert its direction towards the settlement; but was redirected on its own route/ravine.

In this manner, we can also observe the Baltbar’s glcial consequences that flooeded, blocked the Hunza River in the seond half of 1970s and the beautiful Chinese bridge between Gulmit & Shishkat sank and till today is underwater in the river.

non-structured and/or community approaches in dealing with such natural disasters were mostly attached to belief system. Belief in the spirituality. For instance, a spiritual person used to have prayers on pebbles and rendering it to a person to thrwo that into the water and the water believingly getting off.

However, there could be other methods as well that may be realistic, but those indiginous knowledge and methods need to be exsplored.

Ambrin! I may expect you and other fellows to explore such stories from different regions with regard to handling with the natural disaters so that to analyze them and come to a logical conclusions.

Regards,
Ali Rehmat
alimusofer@gmail.com
UNMIT, East Timor